History Resources

The World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities. The site includes maps of the major world regions, as well as Flags of the World, a Physical Map of the World, a Political Map of the World, a World Oceans map, and a Standard Time Zones of the World map.

The CIA is an independent US government agency that provides national security “intelligence” to key US leaders so they can make important, informed decisions. CIA employees gather intelligence (or information) in a variety of ways, not just by “spying” like you see in the movies or on TV (though we do some of that, too). On the following pages, you can read more about us, play some games, and help us solve some puzzles. Throughout this section, you’ll also see some top secret things you won’t find anywhere else.

Jim Crow was not a person, yet affected the lives of millions of people. Named after a popular 19th-century minstrel song that stereotyped African Americans, "Jim Crow" came to personify the system of government-sanctioned racial oppression and segregation in the United States.

The videos in this PBS LearningMedia NY collection feature historical reenactments and expert interviews that tell the story of some of the people and events that shaped the abolitionist movement, which sought the immediate emancipation of all enslaved people.

Using archival news footage, primary sources, and interview segments filmed for Eyes on the Prize, this PBS LearningMedia NY collection captures the voices, images, and events of the Civil Rights movement and the ongoing struggle for racial equality in America.

The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and was commemorated by teachers and students across the country and around the world. Help your students appreciate the significance of this event – and its role in the larger Civil Rights Movement using this collection of digital content from PBS LearningMedia.

This PBS LearningMedia NY series explores the evolution of the African-American people, as well as the multiplicity of cultural institutions, political strategies, and religious and social perspectives they developed — forging their own history, culture and society against unimaginable odds. Using video clips, this collection of lesson plans address a wide range of themes of the African-American experience from 1500 to the present.

Learn about the Freedom Riders, a courageous band of African American and white civil rights activists who in 1961 rode together on buses throughout the American South to challenge segregation. These video segments document the events and accomplishments of the Freedom Rides, and introduce you to the real human stories of those who helped change our history.

The first wave of the women's feminist movement started in the 19th and early 20th century with leaders such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton fighting for legal rights for women such as the ability to vote and own property. The second wave of the women's movement, led by women such as Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinham, occurred in the 1960s and 70s and attempted to combat further social and political inequalities.

Discover the different roles that First Ladies have played throughout history as policy advocates, diplomats, and public figures. Get to know First Ladies throughout the history of the United States including the work of First Lady Michelle Obama and her initiatives through featured images, background essays, videos, and lesson plans.

This resource group contains one facsimile, one photograph, one transcript of, and one background essay on the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, was passed on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920.